Name _________________
Valentine’s Day is a mix of what cultures?
What is one legend/story about Saint Valentines?
What is one version of why Valentine’s Day falls when it does?
When did Valentine’s Day become popular in Britain?
How did postage changes affect Valentine culture?
How many Valentine’s Cards are exchanged each year?
What are other countries that celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Every February 14, across the United States and in other
places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved
ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint, and
where did these traditions come from? Find out about the history of this
centuries-old holiday, from ancient Roman rituals to the customs of Victorian
England.
The
history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But
we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day,
as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman
tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with
this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different
saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends
that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome.
When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than
those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of
potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied
Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When
Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest
that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape
harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one
legend, Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting
himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a
young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his
confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which
he signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use
today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories
certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly,
romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was
one of the most popular saints in England and France.
While some believe
that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the
anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270
A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate
Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to
"christianize" celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was
the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification.
Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and
a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which
began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated
to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders
Romulus and Remus.
To begin the
festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at
the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were
believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then
sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.
The boys then sliced
the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to
the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide
strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the
hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the
coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the
city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each
choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen
woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February
14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman "lottery" system for
romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle
Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the
beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of
February — Valentine's Day — should be a day for romance. The oldest known
valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of
Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following
his capture at the Battle of
Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the
manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years
later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer
named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.
In Great Britain,
Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth
century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and
lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or
handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace
written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards
were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct
expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also
contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day
greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the
early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced
valentines in America.
According to the
Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent
each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of
the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)
Approximately 85
percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United
States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United
Kingdom, France, and Australia.
Valentine greetings
were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin
to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display
at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards
produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland,
known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace,
ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap."
141 million Valentine's Day cards are
exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second-most popular
greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines
for classroom exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark research)
Over 50 percent of all Valentine's Day cards are purchased in
the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine's Day a procrastinator's
delight. (Source: Hallmark research)
Research reveals that
more than half of the U.S. population celebrates Valentine's Day by purchasing
a greeting card. (Source: Hallmark research)
Flowers
The combined
wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2005 for all
flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales was $397 million.
Among states, California was the leading producer, alone accounting for nearly
three-quarters of this amount ($289 million).
The combined
wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2005 for all operations
with $100,000 or more in sales was $39 million. Among all types of cut
flowers, roses were third in receipts ($39 million)to lilies ($76.9 million)
and tulips ($39.1 million).
There were 21,667
florists nationwide in 2004. These businesses employed 109,915 people.
There were 28,772
jewelry stores in the United States in 2004. Jewelry stores offer engagement,
wedding and other rings to lovers of all ages. In February 2006, these stores
sold $2.6 billion worth of merchandise. (This figure has not been adjusted for
seasonal variation, holiday or trading day differences or price changes). The
merchandise at these locations could well have been produced at one of the
nation's 1,864 jewelry manufacturing establishments. The manufacture of jewelry
was an $9 billion industry in 2004.
904: The number of dating service establishments
nationwide as of 2002. These establishments, which include Internet dating services,
employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenues.
2.2 million marriages take place in the United States annually.
That breaks down to more than 6,000 a day.
112,185 marriages were performed in Nevada during 2008. So
many couples "tie the knot" in the Silver State that it ranked fourth
nationally in marriages, even though it's total population that year among
states was 35th.
The estimated U.S.
median ages at first marriage for women and men are 25.9 and 27.6
respectively, in 2008. The age for women rose 4.2 years in the last three
decades. The age for men at first marriage is up 3.6 years.
Men and women in
northeastern states generally have a higher median age at first marriage than
the national average. In Massachusetts,
for example, women were a median of 27.4 years old and men 29.1 years of age at
first marriage. States where people typically marry young include Utah, where women were a
median of 21.9 years and men, 23.9 years.
57% and 60% of American women and men, respectively, are
15 or older and currently married (includes those who are separated).
70%: The percentage of men and women ages 30 to
34 in 2008 who had been married at some point in their lives - either currently
or formerly.
4.9 million opposite-sex cohabitating couples maintained
households in 2005. These couples comprised 4.3 percent of all households.
1,241: The number of locations producing chocolate
and cocoa products in 2004. These establishments employed 43,322 people. California led the nation
in the number of such establishments with 136, followed by Pennsylvania with 122.
(Source:http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/cbptotal.html)
515 locations produced nonchocolate confectionary
products in 2004. These establishments employed 22,234 people.
The total value of
shipments in 2004 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products was $13.9
billion. Nonchocolate confectionery product manufacturing, meanwhile, was a
$5.7 billion industry.
3,467 Number of confectionery and nut stores in the
United States in 2004. Often referred to as candy stores, they are among the
best sources of sweets for Valentine's Day.
The per capita
consumption of candy by Americans in 2005 was 25.7 pounds. Candy
consumption has actually declined over the last few years; in 1997, each
American gobbled or savored more than 27 pounds of candy a year.
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